Class behind bars: 3 teachers find second calling in jail

PROSPERIDAD, AGUSAN DEL SUR, Philippines — In a place defined by high walls and restricted freedom, three teachers have found a way to do what they know best: teach.

The three educators, all persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Agusan del Sur Provincial Jail in Barangay Patin-ay, have transformed their confinement into a classroom.

Through the facility’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) and rehabilitation initiatives, they help fellow detainees acquire practical skills, earn basic education credentials, and prepare for life after release.

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READ: DILG: Over 10,000 inmates finish basic education in jail through ALS

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One teaches mathematics, another leads computer literacy courses, while the third facilitates rehabilitation and life-skills workshops.

Their current setting is starkly different from the traditional campuses where they once taught, but they say physical confinement has done nothing to blunt their calling.

READ: 68 PDLs complete college, high school in Bilibid extension school

Adeva May Jaramillo, department information officer of the Provincial Correctional and Security Management Office, featured them on the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur website.

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Enduring mission

For one of the three teachers, the jail’s makeshift classrooms provide an outlet to put years of formal training and classroom experience back to work.

A licensed educator, he views teaching inside the facility as both a service and a mutual learning process.

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“As a detainee myself, sharing my skills, talents, and blessings from the Almighty is both a privilege and a pleasure,” he told the Inquirer.

The teacher added: “Our day-to-day experiences are the biggest lessons for tomorrow. To me, teaching is about transferring knowledge and empowering others. Confinement hasn’t changed that passion.”

For him, incarceration does not mean giving up his professional identity. “It is both my passion and compassion that drive me to keep teaching those who live behind bars,” he added.

One student at a time

Another teacher holds a degree in information technology, a professional teaching license, and a master’s degree in educational management. He uses his background to teach fellow detainees basic computer literacy and digital fundamentals.

He believes practical technical skills give detainees tangible tools to rebuild their lives once they reenter society.

“My situation may have changed, but my purpose has not. Being a detainee does not erase the teacher in me,” he said. “I may be behind bars, but I can still teach, inspire, and make a positive difference.”

For him, success is measured one person at a time. “If I can use my knowledge to help even one fellow PDL find hope and believe in a better future, then I know I am still fulfilling my duty as an educator.”

Gift and responsibility

The third teacher approaches teaching as a moral responsibility and a way to give back to peers who had little access to formal schooling before their imprisonment.

“I was fortunate enough to finish my degree and gain teaching experience. The best thing I can do now is share that knowledge and be part of someone else’s growth,” he explained.

While he acknowledges the heavy emotional and physical weight of life inside the provincial jail, he insists that purpose outweighs the hardship.

“What really drives me to teach here is genuine concern for others—I see it as my responsibility,” he said. “This ability to teach is a gift, and a gift only has value when you pass it on.”

Rebuilding within

The work of these three teachers underscores how peer-led education can bolster rehabilitation inside correctional facilities.

Through ALS, detainees who missed out on basic education can work toward high school equivalency credentials. Having qualified educators among the inmate population allows the program to maintain steady instruction despite the inherent resource constraints of provincial detention centers.

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For these three men, the classroom is neither defined by four schoolhouse walls nor stripped away by detention. While serving their time, they remain students of their own circumstances—and mentors to those walking the same corridor toward a second chance. /cb